Destined Love
by sunny1388
Summary: In a medieval-like setting, a youkai prince, Inuyasha, and Kagome, a miko princess are forced into an arranged marriage. After a bumpy beginning, they come to a truce and try to get out of the marriage by working together. But things change...
1. To Meet

Disclaimer: Do not own Inuyasha, Kagome, her mom, or Sango. So don't sue me since I'm just a kid and I don't have any money. So you'd spend more money hiring a lawyer than you'd get after suing me. So you're only hurting yourself if you sue me. Have I convinced you not to sue? Well, if you agree not to sue, I'll stop talking and you won't get annoyed any further. Okay? Shake on it! (lol, I know I'm talking to myself. Hmm, ah ha!! Mental Incompetence. You can't sue me!) I'm so good at persuading people. I could be a lawyer. Then I could sue people! Then I'd have to read messages like this one. Hmm, nope. Not gonna be a lawyer! Ja!  
  
(Disclaimer is for all chapters!)  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Destined Love  
Chapter 1-Meeting  
  
by sunny1388  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~Mother's Gift, Mother's Loss~  
  
"Kagome?" the queen softly inquired with a concerned look on her face as she waited to see Kagome's reaction to what she had just been told.  
  
Silence filled the large room.   
  
There was no answer, so the queen decided to try again. But the young princess suddenly trembled and sat down, biting her lip. But she didn't cry. She hadn't cried since the pond incident and she wouldn't cry for so small a thing as this.  
  
At least, that's what she told herself: this was too unimportant to cry over. Even though it was important.  
  
"Oh, Kagome..." the queen murmured, her voice cracking, as she kneeled down to hug her silent daughter, who calmly accepted the embrace, although she still sat completely straight, maintaining her composure and the uncaring mask over her face that had been there since...   
  
She wouldn't cry. She didn't want to cry. Kagome knew some people thought of tears as letting out feelings and a natural occurrence, but...if she shed tears, it would remind her of all those nights she'd fallen asleep crying. And the reason she cried herself her sleep.  
  
"I'm so sorry, dear." the queen murmured as she patted her daughter's back comfortingly.  
  
The queen, after a few more moments of silence, sat up again and looked down at her hands, trying to avoid her daaughter's eyes. They were so...dead. Even though it had been about 7 years ago, Kagome's eyes had never regained the shimmer and laughter they had in them before. The queen got up to pull a chair over and sit before her daughter.  
  
"I'm so sorry.." she repeated. But Kagome only nodded.  
  
"No, Mama. I understand that this is needed." she said, her voice betraying none of the emotions she fought to keep down, "I know this is for the good of our people."  
  
The queen could only nod back numbly. She knew this was the only way to make peace, but it felt so horrible to sacrifice her only daughter for peace. Selfishly, she tried arguing with herself that peace wouldn't be worth it, but when she thought of all her subjects...this was the best choice for the people.   
  
Marrying a demon prince to attain peace for their kingdom.  
  
Hopefully one day, her daughter would forgive her and she would forgive herself.  
~Almost Sisters~  
  
When the queen finally left, Kagome slowly walked to her bed and sat down on it, a shuddering sigh escaping her as she let her mask slip, for only a second..   
  
A soft knock echoed through the room and the door was uncertainly pushed open,   
  
The mask was instantly back.  
  
"Kagome?" A black-haired girl, a few years older than Kagome, walked into the room and when she saw Kagome, she hurridly walked over and sat down with the princess on her bed.  
  
"Oh, hello Sango." the Princess said, voice completely flat. Silence reigned for a few moments, and until she finally spoke up, "I...I'm scared, Sango." she murmured, and Sango heard the obvious fear in her friend's voice.  
  
Only with Sango did Kagome let a little of her true self show. Sango had been Kagome's friend forever. She was taken in when her village was killed by a demon when she was a little girl. Kagome and Sango were like sisters, inseparable. Sango was the only one who fully understood how Kagome felt and why she had changed so much from that energetic and always cheerful little girl.  
  
That's why Kagome shared her feeling with Sango. Her feelings of fear and dread over the scheduled wedding.  
  
Kagome had a right to be scared, being forced into an arranged marriage with a demon that she had never met, but had heard horrible things about. Usually Kagome never believed rumors since she was a smart girl, but they were the only source of information she had about her new husband and Kagome's mind was too tired to fight and she slowly came to believe the rumors.  
  
It was said that the dog demon, Inuyasha, was a fearful being with long claws and blood-dripping fangs. He supposedly had glowing golden eyes and a wild mane of white hair. He had a short and explosive temper and killed without reason. He would take demon and human females, completely ignoring protests or begging. He was a monster.  
  
Sango was also scared, but the maid knew how to fight and could protect herself, coming from a demon-exterminating village.  
  
"Don't worry, Kagome. I'll protect you from the demon, even if you are married to him. That's why I'm going with you."  
  
Kagome's eyes lit up and flew up to Sango's eyes, searching for any hint of deception, but seeing none, she realized Sango was telling the truth and threw her arms around Sango, glad to have her there.  
  
Sango: who was not just a maid, but a wonderful best friend.  
  
And almost a sister.  
~Love At First Sight~  
  
Kagome stood in her evening finery in the hall that led to the throne room where her parents were waiting.   
  
Along with a certain demon.  
  
Kagome fitfully straightened her midnight blue gown that twinkled with some silver glitter-like quality. Reaching up, she carefully brushed aside a few strands of her raven hair and shifted the delicate silver tiara on her head around a bit. The deep blue sapphires she wore at her neck and ears accented the blue in her eyes perfectly.  
  
"Stop fidgeting, you look perfect." Sango said, grabbing Kagome's hands and pulling them away from her hair.   
  
"Sorry," Kagome whispered as Sango released her hands. Wringing them, she tried to calm her nervousness.  
  
Suddenly, someone running very fast crashed into Kagome, almost knocking her over. But strong arms braced her and set her back on her feet again and Kagome heard a muttered apology before she was staring into beautiful golden eyes. Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened. Her heart began to pound, even though she didn't known why. She didn't know anything; her brain felt so muddled. The only clear things were those eyes.  
  
Abruptly, she was brought back to reality as the stranger ran off again, just as fast as he came. Silently, she watched him run through a small door at the end of the hall at disappear.  
  
A small smile lingered on her lips, the first one for 7 years.   
  
But that happiness was torn away as she heard a trumpet and a herald declare her name. Taking a deep breath, she shared a quick hug with Sango, before she walked forward and through the gigantic doors at the end of the hall.   
  
A small shadow of the smile that had been there a few seconds ago graced her lips as she walked past the small door the stranger had ran through.  
  
The fact that both doors, small one and the huge ones she walked through now, led to the same room, was a thought that didn't occur to her.  
~Hate At Second Sight~  
  
Walking silently into the throne room, Kagome kept her head down demurely and stared at the white marble floor beneath her. All around her, she heard voices, quiet murmers from the humans on the left and the demons on the right. They would be there to witness the 'mating ceremony' between her and the demon prince.  
  
From her left, she heard many sighs of sympathy and overall sadness. Many were wearing black or such dark colors as if they were mourning her as dead. Kagome thought bitterly to herself, maybe death would be better...  
  
From the right, the demons didn't bother keeping their voices down. She heard many rude voices dismissing her as a worthless, weak, and pathetic mortal. A human, defenseless and stupid, not good for anything. They did not welcome the idea of a mere human being higher than them, any of them. But now that she was to marry, or mate, one of their princes, she would rank higher than almost all of them.  
  
Although Kagome would rather give it up to be a simple peasant girl in her own kingdom any day.  
  
Even with random shouts or taunts from the demons and even a few from the humans who hated the idea of peace with demons, Kagome still walked ahead confidently, her posture and stride not betraying any of her emotions of doubt or fear.  
  
Finally reaching the steps to the two thrones, Kagome stopped, and curtsied, still keeping her head bowed and her gaze lowered as she was supposed to. Hearing her father's booming voice, she winced,  
  
"Today is a day of celebration and rejoicing. Our two races shall be joined and there shall be long-lasting peace between us, sealed by this mating."  
  
No one missed how he referred to it with the demon term, mating.  
  
"We bestow upon you, Prince of Youkai, our princess, as hopes to firmly seal our forever friendship and to finally break the constricting bond of enmity. Accept, as a token and physical manifestation of our good will."  
  
With this, Kagome stood again, gladly rising out of the curtsy that was starting to wobble. She stood, and finally raised her eyes to meet those of her husband, or mate.  
  
She couldn't stop a small gasp.  
  
It was the golden eyed man!  
  
This was who she was forced to marry?!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
So, what do you think? Review! (and get more chapters) Seriously, reviews motivate me. Meaning reviews=me writing faster.   
  
Wow, this chapter was edited so many times it's not even funny. I could probably recite the whole thing word for word. Can one get sick of reading one's own story? I think I have. Maybe I should get a beta-reader? I dunno... 


	2. To Despise

Disclaimer: See chapter 1  
  
Reviewer Replies: see at end of chapter.  
  
A/N: I'm changing my style a bit, my chatter will go at the end of the chapter along with the replies!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Destined Love  
Chapter 2-To Despise  
  
by sunny1388  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~A Gentle Scent~  
  
Kagome bit her lip to keep silent. This was the man she had just met outside the hall!  
  
Instantly she realized that the door he went through led to the hall, but she had thought he was just a spectator, like everyone else.  
  
Somehow, Inuyasha felt her eyes on him and unglazed his bored eyes to look at her too.  
  
He had the same sort of reaction, but he was successful in keeping his bored expression and stifling his gasp.  
  
Wasn't this the girl he had ran into outside the hall?  
  
The really, really beautiful one?  
  
The sad one?  
  
The one he wished he was marrying instead of whatever stuck-up, bratty human princess he had to marry?  
  
For the first time during the whole ceremony, he looked at his bride and his brain started working again.  
  
Kikyou?!   
  
Inuyasha's heart jolted. Then he calmed again.  
  
No. She just looked like Kikyou...looked a lot like Kikyou.   
  
But her eyes, blue-gray, were different from Kikyou's brown ones.   
  
He assured himself that it wasn't Kikyou. Discreetly taking a sniff, he realized her scent was different. Much gentler than Kikyou's.  
  
But the similarities couldn't be ignored. Her eyes held the same sadness, deep down inside that Kikyou's eyes had.  
  
Inuyasha shivered, not liking that at all.  
  
What were these humans thinking: giving him a mate that was almost a double of Kikyou?!  
  
Inuyasha clenched his fists in the fabric of his kimono at his sides to avoid crossing his arms and settling into his usual pose. This affair was much to formal.  
  
Damn. He hated formal things.  
  
His mind slowly drifted to other things and his eyes developed a glazed sort of look and he completely ignored the proceedings.  
  
Unknowingly to him, his breaths became deeper as he slowly relaxed in the prescene of this girl. The one that wasn't Kikyou.   
~Hate~  
  
Kagome had turned away from his eyes after seeing them widen. Obviously he was also remembering their little enounter in the hall.   
  
Kagome gritted her teeth. She had almost liked the guy. But...she felt so angry at him! He was the reason that she would been taken away from her family and friends and her own people. Of course, she convienientely forgot that Sango, her only friend was going with her and she didn't really love any of her family that were still alive. But the isolation from her own species was terrifying to her.   
  
So, being Kagome, she took her anger out on Inuyasha. He was the reason all this was happening to her. It was all his fault. All his fault...  
  
Her anger simmered, until it built up a wall around itself. No one can convince her otherwise, it was too late. She hated Inuyasha. Hated him since it was all his fault.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
O.o, kinda an angsty chapter, I guess. But I need Kagome to hate Inuyasha for now. It's very important to the plot. See ali's review reply if you're confused!   
  
Review!  
  
Next Time:  
Miroku is introduced into the plot. Sorry Sango, had to do it sooner or later.  
  
Sango: "Don't even think about it!"  
Miroku: "But Sango dear!"  
Sango: "..."  
Miroku: "..." *grin*  
Sango: *twitch, beats him with Hiraikotsu*   
Sunny: "If you don't want him, I'll take him."  
Sango: "...no..."  
Miroku: "You love me, Sango!" *glomp*  
Sango: *knocks him unconscious and drags him off, glaring evilly at Sunny*  
Sunny: *blink* ^_^;  
~~~~~Review Replies~~~~~  
  
CTRNikkiM~ Thanks, I liked this idea too. Actually, it popped into my head and I had to write it!  
  
Miaka~ Sure, I've got half of chapters 3 & 4 done already.  
  
ShellBabe~ Thanks for the compliment!  
  
laura~ Hugs, yay! Thanks!  
  
MoonChild~ Thank you, I'm glad you like my story!  
  
Sweety64~ I'm planning to continue this story!  
  
Kango~ lol, ^_^  
  
ali~ Thanks, and as for your question, Kagome does like him when she first sees him since he seems pretty nice and all, but she is a teen and teens are rebellious. Would you like to be forced into an arranged marriage? ^_^, anyway, her anger's just a little misplaced and she blames him. So to answer your question, she does hate him right now but as the summary says...^_~ Plus, all plots need some sort of bump, right? It makes the story interesting.  
  
~~~~~  
Thanks to all my reviewers!! I love you all and I'm glad you like my story so far! 


	3. To Leave

Disclaimer~ See first chapter  
A/N & Reviewer Replies at the bottom!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Destined Love  
Chapter 3-To Leave  
  
by sunny1388  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Planner~  
  
After the ceremony, the few polite demons and humans lead a weak applause as the demon prince too k his intended's hand, placed a kiss on it, and offered the arm to her. With a polite smile, the miko princess took it and allowed him to lead her outside to their waiting carriages that would take them to the Inu royal family's palace.  
  
Walking behind Kagome, Sango winced at the stiff politeness of it all. To her, it was obvious that this was a forced face put on only for the sake of ceremony and tradition. The prince didn't look any happier than her lady.  
  
Alongside the pensive Sango, a young monk in purple and black official attire snuck glances at the woman beside him. His right hand holding the jingling golden staff was wrapped in a cover with a rosary twisted around it, but the knuckles that were visible were white with strain, a sign that he was gripping the staff very tightly.  
  
Miroku had to exercise every bit of restraint he had to avoid groping her in front of everyone. Usually he wouldn't have cared, but it seemed that this was the girl the princess would be bringing with her. And he couldn't afford to offend them.  
  
Miroku sighed.  
  
One of the cons of working for youkai-they didn't tend to be merciful, especially not to humans.  
  
Plus, there was also the fact that it wouldn't be the first complaint about the monk's wandering hands and he'd been told very clearly that if his hands wandered, he would 'have them ripped off and fed to him.'   
  
But Miroku didn't think of his behavior as groping. Nope, he was just showing his appreciation for the female body.   
  
His eyes slid to Sango and a dreamy grin appeared on his face.  
  
Oh, he really appreciated her, and he would make it known the second he got a chance.  
  
Miroku's grin widened and his eyes glazed over and he began thinking...  
  
~Matchmaker~  
  
When they got outside, they saw that 2 carriages had been prepared for them.   
  
Kagome, not wanting to be left alone with Inuyasha, quickly suggested,  
  
"Maybe my maid should stay with me."  
  
Sango readily agreed and Inuyasha looked like he was ready to agree also when the monk spoke up,  
  
"No, beautiful princess. If I may, I think your highness and Prince Inuyasha should take this time to make introductions and talk amongst yourselves, being the married couple."  
  
With that, Miroku offered his arm to Kagome who had no choice but to take it and let him lead her to the first carriage.   
  
Inuyasha stood where he was until Miroku cleared his throat meaningfully,  
  
"My Prince..."  
  
Inuyasha scowled darkly at him, but marched to the carriage, stopping when he passed Miroku,  
  
"You are dying a painful death tonight, bouzu."  
  
But Miroku simply grinned and whispered back,  
  
"No, my Prince, I think you'll be too busy tonight to kill me."  
  
With a wink, Miroku went to escort a reluctant Sango to their carriage.   
  
Blushing to the roots of his hair, Inuyasha ducked into the carriage.  
  
~Flirt~  
  
"A lady as beautiful as yourself is needful of an escort, ne?"  
  
Miroku was trying to strike up a conversation with Sango once they were both seated in the carriage.  
  
"You are very kind, houshi-sama."  
  
Sango replied politely.  
  
"Please, call me Miroku. May I ask your name?"  
  
Miroku sat across from Sango in the carriage, but he was leaning forward with every word. Now, he rested a hand on Sango's leg, hoping she wouldn't notice. Somehow.  
  
"Sango."  
  
She replied as she kicked his shin with the foot of the leg he had his hand on.  
  
Miroku winced, but he held out his hand, as a sign that he was supposed to kiss it.  
  
But Sango pretended not to notice and crossed her arms, keeping them close to her chest where he wouldn't dare go.  
  
But Miroku's eyes twinkled and with a grin, he reached forward, and grabbed her hand to Sango's great surprise.  
  
With a quick, teasing wink at her, he kissed it and let go.  
  
Sango snatched her hand back and rubbed the back of it where he kissed and glared at him.  
  
Miroku only grinned wider and leaned back against his seat, pleased.  
  
Sango shook her head.  
  
Hopefully this would be a short trip.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/N: A chapter completely about Miroku! I love his character! Anyway, I sat, bored, in English and made a list of all the chapters. It should be around 20 chapters, maybe a chapter or two more or less. I've also got a list of all the chapter titles that I will be putting up on my website soon! (As a small sneak peak, they're all infinitive verbs-To Meet, To Despise, To Leave, To Remember, etc.)  
  
~~~~~Reviewer Replies~~~~~  
  
reynamangga~ Miroku was angry that he wasn't in the first two chapters so he got one all to himself! Shippo-it doesn't matter to me. He's not crucial to the plot so if people want him in the story I'll put him in. He'll just be a cute diversion. Sesshomaru-Definitely!!! Fluffy rules! So does Kouga! Kouga is cool, plus the jealously and rivalry he adds to the plot is always fun! (Although Inu doesn't think so ^_^) I'm not sure if Rin will be there since usually I write about her and Sesshomaru like a warped sort of adopted father/daughter thing and I want Sesshomaru to be a cruel bad guy in this fic. If Jaken's in there, he will die. Seriously, in my other fic, he's getting toasted in the fire the very next chapter (which is being posted right now) Hojo-eh...I dunno. I don't like Hojo either and I don't know how a human guy will fit in. I'll try to stick him in there just for your beating enjoyment! ^_^ Suggestions welcome!  
  
mkitty-chan~ Yep, and it's fun writing this fic too!   
  
babe_galanime~ I will continue. I've already got the basic plotline planned out!  
  
CTRNikkiM~ Sorry, but here's a third chapter! I'll try to update ASAP!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Next time:   
Chapter 4-To Remember  
  
About what happens between Inuyasha & Kagome in their carriage. There's a big flashback of Kagome's childhood and the two start to get along...just a bit. (Before I pit them against each other! *cackles insanely while Inu cast backs away*) 


	4. To Remember

Disclaimer: See first chapter.  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you're all so nice!!  
  
Just to clear up a confusing little thing, I refer to Inuyasha as 'man' and 'demon'. I know he's a hanyou or half demon, but Kagome doesn't, and this story is mostly her POV for now. So until Kagome learns that he's a hanyou, it'll be 'man' or 'demon'. ^_^  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Destined Love  
Chapter 4-To Remember  
  
by sunny1388  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~Try, Try Again~  
  
The carriage was wonderfully smooth, but silence was beginning to get to Kagome. She was used to bouncing up and down and hearing the loud wheels creak and bump over pebbles in the road.  
  
But this carriage was silent.  
  
Of course, the fact that winged demon horses were flying the carriage made a bit of difference.  
  
She sat across from him, her hands folded delicately in her lap and her head slightly bowed. As custom dictated.  
  
For a normal marriage.  
  
This marriage was far from normal, but Kagome was determined to have a normal life, even though she was the only person she knew to be married to a demon.   
  
Anyway, she sat silently with bowed head and lowered eyes, but beneath her eyelashes, she stared at her husband intently. She wanted to know something about the man she would spend the rest of her life with.  
  
She winced.  
  
He wasn't exactly...Prince Charming.  
  
In the hall he had been all formality, the politeness seeming strained and the smiles forced. Now that they were alone, he relaxed a bit, but she could tell he was tense and doing some major thinking.  
  
He stared out the window at the clouds rushing by, something she felt sick only imagining doing.  
  
When she was 5 years old, she loved to sit on her balcony railing and stare out, especially to watch the sunset, or admire the small lake that her window overlooked.  
  
One time, she had gotten in trouble. To hide from her nurse, who was searching from her, she had gone to sit on the railing to comfort herself. Watching the sunset, she soon forgot all her troubles, and the time. She had spent a whole afternoon staring out at the sky and lake! After sunset, her father had become worried and sent the palace guards to look for her.  
  
Meanwhile, her Grandfather helped by searching in her room, knowing his granddaughter loved to hide, but she didn't notice him since she was sitting outside on the balcony. However, when the door to the balcony creaked open and she saw him, she shrieked, knowing she was in trouble and accidentally slipped as she tried to turn around.   
  
She fell.   
  
It was early February and the sheet of ice covering the lake was thinning.   
  
When she fell from her window, she fell through the ice and into the freezing, black water. She thought she was drowning, and desperately tried to kick up, even though she couldn't swim yet. But nearing the surface, she realized she had swam away from the hole that she fell in through and was trapped beneath the ice.   
  
After what seemed like an eternity, she was grabbed by a pair of strong arms and hauled to the surface.  
  
It was her grandfather.  
  
He pulled her out of the water quickly and picked her up, holding her closely to him in an embrace, even though he was getting completely soaked too.  
  
After they went back inside, her father, the king, was waiting. He was furious.  
  
She was punished.  
  
However, that wasn't the worst of it.  
  
Kagome's grandfather was getting old and the cold had gone to his weak bones. He caught a high fever and before she knew it, he was gone.  
  
Her grandfather. The only person in the world who completely understood her and completely loved her.  
  
Her mother loved her very much, too, but she was a queen with no freedom to spend with her daughter.  
  
Her father...her father was a king. He wished for an heir and that was knowledge she gained so early in life that she couldn't even remember when she found out. The king always wanted a son. When it was only Kagome, he wished everyday for a son. When Souta, her brother, the crown prince, was born, Kagome was shunned by her father. All his attention was focused on his heir and son.  
  
When Kagome's grandfather died, the quiet princess became even more reclusive. She had always been shy, but now she seemed to isolate herself from the world. Of course, since she didn't have anyone to talk to, her feelings of guilt over her grandfather's death, the thoughts that it was her fault for getting him so cold, those thoughts were brooded over, contemplated, and eventually accepted.  
  
Kagome always held a fear of heights and a fear of winter overall, especially ice-skating.  
  
Coming back to reality, Kagome realized that sometime during her reminisce, she had begun to cry silent tears.  
  
She also realized a pair of startling gold eyes were watching her.  
  
Feeling very self-conscious, her cheeks began to flush as she scrambled for a handkerchief. Why was she crying in front of this complete stranger? It had been 7 years since she'd cried. Maybe the complex events were getting to be too much...being told she was to marry a demon a few hours before the marriage. It would be traumatizing for anyone.  
  
Hearing a sound that resembled a snort, she looked up and saw the gold-eyed demon holding out a handkerchief for her.  
  
With shaking fingers, she gingerly accepted it and murmured,  
  
"Thank you."  
  
The man only gave a distracted nod and turned back to the window, staring outside again.  
  
Wiping her eyes, he suddenly began talking in a middle-ranged, gruff voice,  
  
"You were crying for a while."  
  
Kagome felt her cheeks redden more but looked up anyway. He was still facing the window.  
  
"Wanna tell me?" he asked. Kagome felt a little comforted. The man's vocabulary and accent weren't that of a snobby, pampered prince. Maybe he was...  
  
Lost in her thoughts, Kagome didn't notice the man turning to look at her strangely.  
  
"If ya don't want to talk, that's fine with me." he said, looking as if her didn't care.  
  
"Oh, no! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you. I was just...thinking." Kagome rushed out, waving her hands. Her only response was a raised, questioning eyebrow, so she continued.  
  
"Well, I don't know anything about you, even though we're...getting married. Or mated, I guess. I don't even know your name." the last sentence came out almost as a whisper, but the demon, with demonic hearing, caught it easily.   
  
He was silent for so long, Kagome thought he had gone back to his own thoughts. But suddenly, a few minutes later,   
  
"Inuyasha."  
  
"Hmm?" She asked, surprised and not understanding what he was saying,  
  
"My name's Inuyasha."  
  
Kagome smiled, a small, hesitant smile,  
  
"I'm Kagome."  
  
Inuyasha snorted, this time she could tell it was definitely a snort.  
  
"No kidding." he said, before turning back to the window.  
  
Looking down at her hands again, Kagome smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
So, what do you think? A big flashback and some fluff. Not much plot, you say? Well, flash backs are usually important to the plot. Well, least in my writing. Review!!  
  
Don't forget, more reviews=faster posting! Review!!  
  
~~~~~Reviewer Replies~~~~~  
  
CTRNikkiM~ I can understand evil computers, I used to have one myself. And yes, Kouga is very cute, isn't he? Miroku too!   
  
Zhare~ Yeah, Fluffy is cool when he's nice, but I also like the 'bad boy' part of him. The cool, charismatic villan is too cool a role to pass up for him and plus, he's very nice in my other fic so I'm gonna write him evil for now!  
  
Bonkerzz~ Thanks!  
  
~~~~~  
  
Next time:  
Chapter 5-To Eat  
  
They arrive at the castle and just in time for dinner with the family. Many new characters introduced including Sesshomaru & Kouga and maybe...Shippou. Maybe. ^_^ Look for it soon, probably by Friday if I'm not too bogged down with homework. ^_^ 


	5. To Fall

Disclaimer: See first chapter.  
  
A very fluffy-ish chapter! Except the end.  
  
Sorry, I cut my original chapter 5 in half so the whole dinner thing will be next chapter. :( Have to wait another chapter for Fluffy, Kouga, and all of them now.   
  
Warning-Some bad language this chapter *points to Inuyasha* Should I change the rating?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Destined Love  
Chapter 5-To Fall  
  
by sunny1388  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It was starting to bug him.  
  
Inuyasha opened an eye again and tightened his crossed arms as he saw yet another tear leak down the girl's cheek. His golden eyes traced it as it reached the edge of her face and fell.  
  
She had been silently crying for a while now and even though Inuyasha tod himself that he couldn't care less, he'd always had a weakness for tears, especially from girls. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat then looked up at her again.  
  
Finally.  
  
She stopped crying and took a deep breath.  
  
Inuyasha looked around impatiently. The salty smell of her tears still dwindled in the carriage and it was setting his nerves on end.   
  
Glancing out the window, Inuyasha surveyed the familiar land and realized they would be getting to his-their-home soon.  
  
Clearing his throat, he waited for the girl to wake up.  
  
Slowly prying her uncooperating eyelids open, Kagome blinked, realizing she had fallen asleep. Her face felt tight with dried tears.  
  
Bringing a clawed fist up to his mouth, Inuyasha coughed awkwardly, obviously making an effort to be polite, but the loudness of the cough revealed his impatience.  
  
"Wha?" Kagome muttered intelligently. Inuyasha jerked a thumb towards the window, and looking outside, Kagome saw the mists of the puffy cloud they were in disperse slowly to reveal the green ground below them and the edge of a rocking cliff protruding from the edge of the plain.   
  
A wall of blocks of stone in a semicircle around the edges of the cliff encased some of the meadow and seemed to be with activity. Kagome could see many demons in human form scurring around.  
  
In the lush green plains surrounding the cliff, there were dog demons in their true forms scattered around.   
  
Stifling a gasp, Kagome leaned back in her seat again, since she had been unconsciously leaning forward to look out the window. Dropping her gaze to her hands folded in her lap, she stifled yet another gasp and quickly clasped her hands together, her eyes flying up to meet Inuyasha's piercing golden glare.  
  
"What was that?" he demanded with a slight growl in his voice.  
  
"What was what?" she asked innocently, looking at him with large, inquiring eyes, playing dumb.  
  
"I saw a light in your hands, wench." he said, the growl growing dangerously, a growl that had other full demons backing down. But Kagome's eyes glinted with a new fire in return.  
  
"I said I don't know what you're talking about!" she said, getting angry at him, "And my name isn't 'wench', it's Kagome. Ka-go-me!" she half-yelled at him, sounding out all the syllables.  
  
"Fine wen--" Inuyasha stopped, seeing the warning look she shot at him, "Fine Ka-go-me." he imitated, crossing his arms.  
  
But Kagome wasn't going to take his mockery sitting down. She jumped up, forgetting she was in a low ceiling carriage and promptly hit her head on it. Stumbling, she lost her balance and was about to fall and probably hit her head on something sharp when Inuyashas' arms shot out and grabbed shoulders, steadying her.  
  
"Stupid we--" Inuyasha was saying, but stopped, thinking about how hard it would be to break the habit before continuing, "we--woman."  
  
Kagome was about to retort when the carriage suddenly lurched, landing on the ground. This caused Kagome to stumble back and she instinctively grabbed Inuyasha's arm, but this made Inuyasha lose his bablance since the poor hanyou was already half out of his seat from the jolting landing.  
  
Then Miroku opened the carriage door from the outside.  
  
And all hell broke loose.  
  
A couple things happened in the space of a few seconds, but the first of which was, of course, Miroku's hentai brain clicked and deciphered the scene in front of him, his version, at least.  
  
"Wow Inuyasha, didn't think you had it in you!"  
  
Sango gasped, hands flying to her mouth in surprise and her face turning red so fast it seemed impossible.  
  
Then Kagome's mind registered their positions. And she shrieked.  
  
"KYYYAAAAAAAA! GET OFF ME!!"  
  
Kagome was lying on her back on the floor of the carriage, her hair a mess from her little nap and her clothes wrinkled and messy from her little tumble. She struggled to get Inuyasha's heavy body off of her from his position sprawled over her.   
  
When they fell, Inuyasha's head had landed on Kagome's...chest and his hand fell on Kagome's thigh, making a very questionable-looking picture.   
  
Inuyasha quickly lifted his head up, his silvery hair a tangle. A dark red blush covered his face and even his dog-like ears seemed to be tinged with red.  
  
Now Sango was stuttering incomprehensibly while trying to drag Miroku away, who was insisting on staying on watching with a huge lecherous grin on his face.  
  
"Sick bastard..." Inuyasha muttered at Miroku, finally untangling himself from Kagome, who leapt up and half tumbled out of the carriage, grabbing Sango's arm, and running with the girl in tow past all of the confused guards, who were waiting to escort them.  
  
After Inuyasha had punched Miroku painfully on the arm a few times, the priest had stopped laughing and turned to a still-red Inuyasha, who had crossed his arms, leaning back against the carriage.  
  
"Er, shouldn't we go after them?" Miroku asked tentaively, hoping that bringing up the girls wouldn't anger Inuyasha. He didn't want to be punched into oblivion.  
  
But to his surprise, Inuyasha had a little smirk on his face,  
  
"Nah, they'll realize soon enough that they have no idea where they're going." the hanyou replied, ignoring the look of surprise Miroku had on his face that Inuyasha actually thought of something he didn't. A vein on Inuyasha's forehead began twitching, why did everyone think he was stupid?! Just because he acted a little thick-headed sometimes, it was because his style was to punch first and ask questions later.   
  
The vein twitched even more as Miroku's surprised expression failed to fade.  
  
Finally, Inuyasha snapped. His fist lashed out and connected with the side of Miroku's head, knocking out the priest for a while. Leaning back on the carriage again, Inuyasha recrossed his arms and closed his eyes, sighing peacefully.   
  
Now, back to his thoughts about Kagome...  
  
~*~  
  
In an elaborate castle far north of Inuyasha's western domain, another hanyou was sitting on a window sill, watching a storm brewing outside. It would be a fierce raging storm. The slate colored sky and the occasional rumblings of distant thunder showed that much. His lip curled upwards in a smirk.   
  
The weather set the perfect mood for what was going on in the deep bowels of the dungeons of his castle, where no one coud hear the screams of the prisoners and those who could, the inhabitants of the grimy dungeons, couldn't care about anything except for their own pain.  
  
A knock on the door of his chamber returned him to reality and he turned from the window and redirected his crimson glare on the door.  
  
"Enter."  
  
He called out in a cold, clear voice that still sent shudders through the female youkai on the other side of the door, even though she had been working with him for quite a while now. She opened the creaky door and stepped into the room, bowing as she did so.  
  
"It is done." She said, without preamble, her eyes on the stone floor.  
  
"Good."  
  
The wind demoness waited, drawing in only small breaths of air.  
  
"Tell the witch that I will be down in a moment."  
  
The demoness nodded once and turned, quickly walking out of the room. When she closed the door, she leaned against it, taking a few deep breaths to steady herself before walking down the hall and back to the dungeons.  
  
In the room, the hanyou wondered aloud to himself as he turned back to the storm clouds, which had began to drip,  
  
"So, Urasue has managed to do this simple task that I have given her. Now for the soul..." the smirk that had dissappeared when his minion had entered returned in a full sneer, "I will enjoy this."  
  
A brilliant streak of thunder flashed outside the window, casting demonic shadows over the hanyou's face, which was twisted and threatening.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Mostly exposition this chapter, but at least they got there, ne? And more of the plot is revealed in the last bit.   
  
Questions to answer:  
  
1-Will Kagome get revenge?  
2-Who is the evil hanyou in the end of the chapter?   
3-Should Shippou be included in the story?  
4-Should I update soon?  
  
Feel free to answer in a review!   
  
Hoping for 10 more reviews before the next chapter? Please? (Don't worry, I'll post even if there aren't 10 more reviews, but reviews motivate me to post faster! ^_^)  
~~~~~Reviewer Replies~~~~~  
  
animechick518-Thank you!!   
  
CTRNikkiM-Heh, I can't wait for Kouga either! He's so cool, isn't he?  
  
Sexy Vixen-Yeah, Kagome's dad is such a jerk in this story. And I'm sorry for short chappies *cowers* But I'd rather have more updates of shorter chapters than moths between updates, ne?  
  
~~~~~  
  
Next time:  
Chapter 6-To Eat  
  
Just in time for dinner with the family. Many new characters introduced including Sesshomaru & Kouga and maybe...Shippou. Maybe. ^_^ 


	6. To Eat

Disclaimer: See chapter 1  
  
Warning: Um, Inuyasha gets a little mad this chapter and when Inu gets mad, Inu swears a lot.  
  
A/N: This chapter is much longer than any chapter I've ever written. I measure my chapter lengths by kilobytes and all of chapters so far were less than 10 kb. This one is 26. ^_^ Enjoy!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Destined Love  
  
Chapter 6-To Eat (I'm hungry...)  
  
by sunny1388  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sure enough, Inuyasha was right and a short while later, the girls were back. If it was possible to march and stamp furiously in slippers and a dress, then Kagome was doing it. If not, well, it was a pretty good impression. Sango, trailing behind her, seemed a little lost.   
  
Seeing the look on Kagome's face, Miroku began to feel nervous,  
  
"Um, I'll just be going now," he stated and attempted to sneak away, but was stopped by Inuyasha's sudden grip on his shoulder. The sharpness of the hanyou's claws were suddenly made very clear to the houshi.  
  
"They're just a couple of girls, bouzu. What? You scared?" Inuyasha's tone was mocking, but underneath the bravado, he too, was getting nervous. Suddenly, his little plan didn't seem like such a good idea. He glanced back to the girls heading their way. Gulp. Nope, very bad idea. Hang on a second! He wasn't scared of a couple of women! Leaning back against the carriage again, he forcefully kept Miroku at his side and waited, a smug expression plastered on his face.  
  
Kagome reached the carriage and promptly began to glare into amber eyes. Furious glare met mocking smugness. She raised a finger and began to poke him in the chest,  
  
"Was this supposed to be some sort of dumb joke? Just letting us get lost and probably die wandering around endlessly in your maze of hallways?"  
  
Tone full of smugness and arrogancy that only Inuyasha could muster, he bent over a little so his gaze was completely even with Kagome's and said one word,  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Kagome was speechless. She had never met someone so full of himself, so rude, so...such a jerk, such a--  
  
"Baka*!" she yelled, and whirled around, grabbing Sango's hand and dragging the girl with her,  
  
"Um, Kagome?" Sango said meekly,  
  
No reply.  
  
"Kagome?"  
  
"Kagome!" Sango half-yelled and finally got her friend's attention.  
  
"Yes?" Kagome's voice was full of suppresed anger,  
  
"Um..." now Sango was reluctant to say what she was going to say. She had a feeling that Kagome was still mad at Inuyasha and so she probably wouldn't want to hear this, but... "Kagome, we still don't know where we're going."  
  
Kagome blinked.  
  
"Crap."  
  
~*~  
  
After much more of Inuyasha's mocking and Kagome's yelling, Sango and Kagome had finally arrived at the door to Kagome's chambers.  
  
Miroku bowed courteously, opening the door for Kagome and Sango,  
  
" Ladies, enjoy your stay."  
  
Kagome managed a smile, her anger at Inuyasha was fading as fast as it had came. Sango, on the other hand, scowled and inched past the priest as far away from his hands as possible. Inuyasha was being unusually quiet. After the girls were both in the room, Miroku closed the door with a cheerful wave and turned to his quiet friend, clapping him on the shoulder.   
  
"Quite a catch, she's..." he whistled and grinned while staring off into space, thinking of something. A low growl brought him back to reality,   
  
"Heh, I know, I know. She's yours. Possesive, aren't we?" Miroku said, still cheerful as ever and not missing a beat,  
  
"Yes." Inuyasha replied simply. Miroku raised an eyebrow at the hanyou.  
  
"What the hell's wrong with you? She's pretty and nice. You should learn to appreciate these things. And, she'll...warm up to you." he added, seeing Inuyasha's indecisive look.  
  
"Just be nice to her. Girls like that stuff. You know, flowers, candy, music..." but the hanyou's attention was elsewhere and he began to tune out to Miroku's rambling,  
  
"And give her some nice presents, but not too expensive or she'll think you're trying to bribe her. But no junk either that she'll think is crap...Inuyasha! You listening to me?" Inuyasha just rolled his eyes at Miroku. He didn't plan on taking any of the bouzu's advice on women. But maybe he could ask...  
  
"Miroku, you know a little about girls?" the statement wasn't a question, more like a musing. The priest replied in an offended tone,  
  
"A little? Well, yes, I know a little." but Inuyasha didn't seem to notice,  
  
"What do girls think is...moving too fast?" Miroku snorted after this question and waited for Inuyasha to tell him it was a joke. No reply. He cleared his throat, Inuyasha was smart; one might not think it, but he often had a lot going on in that white-haired head of his. But when it came to girls, the guy was a clueless as...well, as his brother. Maybe it ran in the family.  
  
So Miroku the infamous womanizer gave Inuyasha the best answer he could come up with, which was his basic all-purpose rule when dealing with the riddle that was the opposite gender,  
  
"No idea. Just guess."  
  
Inuyasha snorted again and replied sarcastically,  
  
"Thanks." before turning away from the door completely and walking down the hall across from the door.  
  
"Hey, where're you going?" Miroku called,  
  
"Mom." Inuyasha replied. His mother a girl. She could tell him what girls thought like. Plus, she was the one who came up with this whole arrangement that she had informed Inuyasha about a few ago. She had known to give Inuyasha enough time to cool down after telling him about it. After two weeks of argument, Inuyasha had finally resigned and accepted it. Now, he was rethinking that decision...  
  
~*~  
  
Meanwhile, in the room Kagome had flopped down on the bed, taking a few deep breaths to relax and calm herself. Sango was walking around, looking out of the huge glass window. There was only one, facing west since they were in the side of a cliff, although it seemed too luxurious to call it a cave. Nearing the window, Sango suddenly looked anxious and quickly rushed to the window, drawing the curtains close quickly. Kagome sat up, wondering why Sango had closed the curtains.  
  
"Sango?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Why'd you just close the curtains?"  
  
Thinking fast, Sango tried to come up with an excuse, "Um, it's almost sunset so I thought...that...that the light would be too blinding since you're trying to sleep!" Sango finished hurridly, secretly proud of herself for thinking up such a great excuse so fast, but it didn't work.  
  
"Oh, it's okay. I like the sunset, you know that." and Kagome got up from the bed, walking to the window about to open the curtains herself when there was a knock on the door. Kagome turned abruptly and hurried to the door, opening it while Sango let out a small sigh of relief.  
  
A girl probably a little younger than Kagome and Sango stood there, smiling brightly at them and carrying a bundle in her arms. Bowing, she started said to them in a cheerful voice,  
  
"Hello Lady. My name is Rin and I'm here to tell you that it's almost time for dinner and I'm to help you get ready." she finished with another smile. Kagome unknowingly relaxed. It seemed this wouldn't be as bad as she had thought it might. This girl looked friendly enough.  
  
Sango seemed to think so too and stepped forward, meaning to help the girl with the bundle she was holding, but a man standing behind the young girl hurried foreward with a large grin on his face. Grabbing one of Sango's outstretched hands, he bowed over it and pressed a firm kiss to it. Perhaps more than was necessary.  
  
"We meet again, Lady Sango." he said with a wink. Sango, eyebrow twitching wrenched her hand from his and shook it slightly as if to get off excess moisture. She only recieved another grin in return to her glare.  
  
Luckily, before the scene could get ugly, Kagome interjected,  
  
"We should probably get ready. Please excuse us, Lord..." she trailed off, realizing that she didn't know the name of this man yet.  
  
"Miroku." he said simply,  
  
"Lord Miroku." Kagome repeated, a polite smile on her face,  
  
"Please, just call me Miroku." Kagome nodded, and stepped back to allow Rin into the room. Sango was about to close the door, but Miroku stood in the doorway.  
  
"Lord Miroku, would you mind moving?" Sango said this not rudely, but with an irritated tone. Miroku looked as if he was about to leave but when Sango neared him, he leaned over so his mouth was near her ear and whispered,  
  
"Just call me koibito*." before pulling away slightly so their noses were almost touching and grinned at her.  
  
Sango's eyes were wide as though she didn't believe what he had done. For a moment the chocolate eyes seemed to melt, but then they turned hard and cold. She was shaking slightly with anger and embarrassment, but mostly anger.  
  
Sango moved so fast that the priest didn't even know what hit him. Although when he would look into the mirror later, Sango's handprint would be bright red on his cheek.  
  
After she slapped him, Sango slammed the door in Miroku's face. The priest stared at the door an inch away from his nose, where Sango's nose had been a moment ago. He decided he liked Sango better. Walking down the hall away from the girls' room, he rubbed his cheek tenderly, wincing a little but grinning nontheless. His Sango sure had a temper, but he liked that.   
  
Shaking his head, the priest grinned some more as he thought of Sango. But even below her cool exterior, Miroku thought he had seen another part of Sango through her eyes when she had stared into his lavender hued eyes. Yep, Miroku decided, the girl was madly in love with her. Or, at least, she would be. Then he and Inuyasha could have their weddings together and just throw one big party, instead of separate ones.  
  
Miroku was decided. In two week's time, which was when Inuyasha and Kagome's wedding, or mating, ceremony would be, he would get Sango.  
  
~*~  
  
Meanwhile the girl of Miroku's thoughts was sulking on Kagome's bed.  
  
"Sango, what's wrong?" Kagome asked, concerned for her friend, but Sango simply shook her head. Kagome leaned back away from Sango and let out a sigh of exasperation.  
  
"Well, I suppose we should get ready for dinner." she stated, not sounding happy about the fact at all. Kagome reached down to grab Sango's hands and tried to pull her friend up.  
  
"Come on. We have to get ready!" but Sango shook her head again.  
  
"Argh! Sango!" but the girl only shook her head.  
  
"Well, um, actually, Lady Kagome?" Kagome turned back to rin, who had been temporarily forgotten since she was so quiet,  
  
"Please, call me Kagome? We're around the same age anyway. Rin nodded and continued,   
  
"Kagome, only you have to get ready. Sango is, um, not allowed to go." Kagome was crestfallen. She didn't want to face this alone!  
  
"B-but, why isn't Sango...?" she asked, blue-gray eyes widening,  
  
"Well, servants aren't allowed to eat with the royals. We've got our own dining hall." she said simply, a sympathetic look in her eyes. Sango nodded, not meeting Kagome's eyes which were glancing back and forth from Rin to Sango for any shred of humor that would suggest that it was a joke. But nope.  
  
Kagome sighed, struggling to contain her emotions, then said in a flat tone,  
  
"Might as well get ready, then." and Rin and Sango began to help the princess to get ready for dinner.  
  
~*~  
  
Meanwhile, Inuyasha knocked angrily on a tall oak door, the sounds echoing through the empty hall. The door creaked open and a young maid bowed out of his way as she held the door open for him.  
  
Inuyasha stomped in with a scowl on his face and glanced around, his golden eyes searching until they finally rested on the billowing white curtain that lead to the balcony. With a roll of his eyes, he rushed to the balcony and brushed the curtains out of the way,  
  
"Mother?" he asked, spotting a black-haired woman sitting in a comfortably padded chair in a corner of the balcony. The woman looked up from her knitting with a smile for her son,  
  
"Inuyasha? You're back!" And carefully she put the needles and yarn down and stood up, embracing her son, who was a good few inches taller than her. Inuyasha awkwardly stood there and jerkily patted her back a few times before she let go of his with a small laugh,  
  
"So," she asked with a twinkle in her eyes, "Do you like Kagome?" Inuyasha unknowingly took a step back at his mother's forwardness, although he should have been used to it. His mother had never been subtle, he probably inherited this from her.  
  
"No." he stated with a hint of a growl in his voice. He refused to meet his mother's eyes and tried to change the subject, forgetting for the moment the reason why he wanted to talk to her,  
  
"So why are you knitting? You haven't done that in a long time." he stared at the yarn that was back in her arms again, trying to figure out what it was. His mother beamed up at him and held the half-done knitting up to show him,  
  
"Baby clothes!" she said happily, then went back to the knitting. A vein in Inuyasha's forehead started to twitch,  
  
"Mom! I just said that I don't like her!" Inuyasha half-shouted at his mother who just shook her head with a knowing smile that only annyoed Inuyasha further.  
  
"I don't!" he said again, this time even louder, but a small smile was creeping on his mother's face.  
  
With a huff, he whipped around and stalked back into the room, practically running out the door and past the frightened maid with a snarl. He didn't like that human bitch. She was stupid and ugly and dumb and stubborn and...and...just a wench! His talk with his mother hadn't helped his temper any, either. Gods he hated the girl and he hated this damn arranged marriage! Still not satisfied with thinking up every curse he could to describe the arranged marriage, the hanyou stopped suddenly and punched the wall next to him leaving a nice sized crater.  
  
Just then, Miroku came around the corner, smiling.  
  
"Hey, Inuyasha!" he called, but the dog demon just stormed past him angrily with a simple,  
  
"Fuck off!" and disappeared around the corner the way that the priest had come, leaving Miroku shaking his head. Obviously the hanyou was pissed off about something again and was throwing a little temper tantrum.  
  
Suddenly he remembered something. The hall that Inuyasha went down was a dead end and the only thing down there was...  
  
Shit!  
  
"Inuyasha! If you break anything, you're paying for it!" he yelled as he ran back down the dead end hall that ended in the door to his rooms.  
  
Reaching the end of the hall, he shook his head sadly down at the splinters that were all that remained of his door. Stepping over them carefully in his sandles, he looked around, ready for the destruction zone that was sure to be his rooms, but surprisingly, everything, with the exception of the door, was intact.  
  
"Inuyasha?" he called, looking for the hanyou,  
  
A snort answered him. He followed the sound to the guest room to the left.   
  
"Inuyasha?" he asked tentatively, pushing open the slightly ajar door slowly to see the hanyou sprawled out on his back, arms behind his head and eyes closed lying rather comfortably and calmly on the bed. Suddenly Miroku felt very angry at his friend for breaking down his door and the anger swept over him,  
  
"Why the hell did you break down my door?!" he asked. The hanyou only opened one eye slightly and yawned, saying,  
  
"It was locked."  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Miroku yelled, not feeling very patient for some reason,  
  
"Crashing."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Now both of Inuyasha's eyes opened and Miroku saw anger in them,  
  
"Because that wench is staying in my room!"  
  
Miroku blinked.  
  
And blinked again.  
  
Finally he said in a very slow and confused and almost incredulous tone,  
  
"And you're...angry...?"  
  
Inuyasha nodded once.   
  
To his credit, Miroku didn't even crack a smile, although he was dying to burst out laughing. Instead he just remarked in a wonderous tone,  
  
"Your mom really wants grandkids, doesn't she?"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
~*~  
  
"Okay, now spin around...oh, that's so pretty!" Rin exclaimed as she looked over Kagome's dress. The princess was finally ready for dinner after much primping and angry muttering. But now, dressed in a beautiful silvery blue dress, Kagome felt a bit better.  
  
"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Sango said, adjusting a strand of Kagome's black hair. Kagome just rolled her eyes. She hated dressing up for these formal occasions as much as the occasions themselves.  
  
The grandfather clock next to the door chimed 6 times.  
  
"Alright," Rin stood up, straightening her own dress, "Time for dinner. Come on, I'll show you where it is!" she said cheerfully. Kagome shot puppy eyes at Sango, who just smiled and waved her on.  
  
Letting out a sigh that ruffled her her bangs, Kagome went to the door where Rin was standing holding it open. She stepped through and Kagome followed, shooting a last look at Sango before the door swung closed.  
  
~*~  
  
Behind a statue of his great grandfather, Inuyasha peeked his white head out and looked around. The hall was deserted. Coming out from behind the statue, he silently walked to the corner of the hall and peeked around it to the direction that Kagome and that other girl had just left. He could hear their chatter, but they were out of sight already.  
  
Good.  
  
Straightening his shoulders and looking very regal, Inuyasha walked to his and Kagome's room and stopped, his clawed hand already on the doorknob. With a growl, he took it off and instead, knocked.  
  
Sango came to the door and opened it for Inuyasha, bowing to him,  
  
"Inuyasha-sama, Kagome's already gone to dinner."  
  
"I know," he replied.  
  
"Um, don't you have to go too?" Sango asked a little nervously, not exactly sure how to treat a demon prince.  
  
"Yeah, but..." now it was Inuyasha's turn to be nervous, "I need my...clothes,"  
  
Sango nodded slowly, completely confused now.  
  
"And they're in here." Inuyasha finished slowly,  
  
"Why?" Sango asked  
  
Irritated, Inuyasha walked past Sango and pointed to the grandfather clock. His grandfather clock.  
  
"It's 6:15. Dinner begins at 6:30. I need to be at dinner by then and to do that, I need my dinner clothes." He said, with a hint of a growl in his voice. But it was true. The ruling pair, otherwise known as his parents, especially his dad, did not tolerate lateness.  
  
He stormed to the walk-in closet to the right and looked around, then gaped.  
  
"Where are my clothes?!" he was surrounded by dresses and bows and frills and lace. Going to one of the dressers, he pulled it open, but suddenly blushed and slammed it close again. Nope.  
  
Ignoring that dresser, he went to an armoire near the back of the closet and opened one of the doors and peeked inside. He breathed a sigh of relief. Here were all his clothes!  
  
Grabbing whatever he could carry, which was a lot, he ran out of the closet, past a stunned Sango, and back to Miroku's rooms.   
  
Finally there after enduring many stares from whoever he ran past, he threw the clothes on his bed and grabbed a few of them, taking them into the bathroom with him to change.   
  
Miroku was already gone, probably already at dinner.  
  
When he dashed out of the bathroom, he was struggling with a tie to hold back his hair and hopped along, the shoes he picked being ones that he grew out of a few years ago.  
  
~*~  
  
At the head of the table was, Kagome assumed, Inuyasha's father. The only word she could think to describe him was...strong. He gave off the feeling of strength and his many battle scars obviously indicated that he was a warrior. He had a piercing gold gaze like both of his sons and also shared the same long, white hair.  
  
Kagome was seated across from an empty chair.   
  
To the left of the empty chair was a beautiful Inu youkai. At first sight, she had thought he was Inuyasha, but he wasn't. For one, he had pointed ears, not puppy ears. But he seemed just as cold as the hanyou. Maybe it ran in the family.  
  
Kagome had been staring at the puff of pinkish something coiled around Sesshomaru's right shoulder. What was it? As if sensing the stare, Sesshomaru turned his gaze to Kagome, who decided to look away. He scared her. As beautiful as he was, Sesshomaru seemed like a cold-blooded killer. Kagome shuddered.  
  
At the end of the table and just to the right of Kagome was Miroku, who winked at Kagome when she looked his way. She smiled weakly back at him. He mouthed 'Don't worry' before going back to listen in on the fierce debate going on between Inuyasha's father and the man seated to his right.   
  
Well, at least it looked like a man. But he had pointed ears and when he opened his mouth to talk, Kagome saw fangs. Plus, his dress alerted Kagome right away. It looked like skins and furs of animals.  
  
To that man's right, in other words, next to Kagome and across from Sesshomaru was a man who seemed just a few years older that Kagome. Kagome suspected that he was the other man's son, since they had the same blue eyes and the same black hair, although the son's was much longer than his father's. But he also wore the same clothes made out of furs and skins.  
  
To Lord Inu's* left was a very beautiful woman. She had long black hair and violet eyes. Maybe she was Inuyasha's mother.   
  
For the first time, Kagome felt a little happiness at this marriage. Her own mother had died while giving birth to her brother. It was a long time ago. The only thing about her mother that Kagome could remember was that she was beautiful and kind. Inuyasha's mother seemed kind. Kagome looked forward to getting to know her.  
  
Suddenly the door burst open and Inuyasha ran through, taking his place at the empty chair across from Kagome. Suddenly, Inuyasha's Dad's voice boomed out to them all,  
  
"Now that we're all here," he directed a meaningful glance to Inuyasha, who winced, "We can begin dinner."  
  
Doors from behind Lord Inu opened and servants streamed out, carrying silver platters of steaming food. Kagome's stomach grumbled as the delicious smells reached her and she realized how hungry she was.  
  
The man to the left of her chuckled,  
  
"Hungry?" he asked,  
  
"Starving." Kagome replied, before manners came into effect, "Oh, um, hello, I'm Kagome."  
  
"Kouga." he replied, "Wolf-demon. And you're...?" he asked, even though he already knew what she was from her scent,  
  
"Uh, human." she replied. One of Kouga's eyebrows went up,  
  
"And why does the Inu royal family have a beautiful, but human girl at dinner with them?" he asked, smiling at her,  
  
Kagome blushed and stammered,  
  
"Um, well, I'm...ah"  
  
"Mine." A voice growled out to them. Kagome looked up. It seemed that Inuyasha was pausing from his dinner long enough to join their conversation.  
  
Kouga sniffed and Kagome was confused until she remembered that he was a wolf demon.  
  
"But you haven't marked her." he said,  
  
Inuyasha simply growled, before he remembered that he hated the girl anyway. So he went back to his dinner.  
  
"Whatever, I don't care." he said  
  
Kouga grinned,  
  
"It seems like that hanyou doesn't understand beauty. But I do." and Kouga took Kagome's hands in his,  
  
"Kagome, why don't you leave that dog-turd and be my mate?" Kouga asked, trying to stare into Kagome's eyes, but the girl was trying as hard as she could to avoid his gaze.  
  
"Um, well, Kouga, uh, doesn't this dinner look great? I'm hungry, you?" she asked, pulling her hands away from his and picking up her fork and sampling some of the wild rice.  
  
Kouga nodded and turned to his dinner also. Obviously the dog-turd made her nervous. But he would just try to persuade her again some other time. For now, there was food to be eaten.  
  
~*~  
  
In the middle of the meal, Kagome was already pretty stuffed, so she leaned over to Miroku,  
  
"Who is Kouga?" she asked,  
  
"He's a wolf demon." Miroku replied, putting down his utensils and wiping his mouth with his napkin, "His father and him are here to talk about land. The wolf-demon clan wants more land, but Lord Inu doesn't want to give up any." Miroku took a sip of his wine, "If they can work somethine out here, they won't have to do it on the battle field."   
  
The priest sighed, "But it's not going too well. Looks like war."  
  
~*~  
  
"So that's the girl?"   
  
Inuyasha stopped, his fork halfway to his mouth.  
  
"Yeah, that's her."  
  
Sesshomaru nodded, "Not bad, for a human."  
  
Inuyasha replied in a voice dripping in sarcasm, "Thanks big brother, I value your opinion so much."  
  
~*~  
  
By the end of dinner, everyone was stuffed. Lord Inu stood.  
  
"Now that we're all full, introductions."   
  
Apparently, he was a man of few words.  
  
Pointing to the wolf-demon on his right, he said,  
  
"Wolf. Lord of the Wolf-demon clans."  
  
Going around in a circle, he stated,  
  
"Kouga, son of Wolf and Prince of the Wolf-demons."  
  
"Kagome, princess of the human kingdom of Shikon and soon-to-be mate of Inuyasha."  
  
"Miroku, priest of Buddha and friend of Inuyasha."  
  
"Inuyasha, my second son."  
  
"Sesshomaru, my first son."  
  
"Shinju*, my wife."  
  
"Good night." He finshed and the doors leading out of the dining room opened. Kagome got up and yawned while walking to Rin who was waiting for her,  
  
"Have a good time?" she asked cheerfully,  
  
"I guess." Kagome replied, before yawning again.  
  
Rin laughed, then began to lead Kagome back to her rooms before anyone else had come out of the dining room, therefore sparing them of any conversation, since Kagome was already so tired.  
  
It had been a big day for Kagome.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*baka-idiot  
  
*koibito-lover  
  
*Lord Inu-Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father and the lord of the western lands  
  
*Shinju-I've read many fics that use this as Inuyasha's mother's name and I like it, so I decided to use it. I think it means 'pearl' or something like that, but I'm not sure. ^_^;  
  
~~~~~  
  
Review!! Tell me if you like longer chapters better? It was hard writing so much, but if you, my readers, like it, then I'll keep doing it. So review!!  
  
~~~~~Reviewer Replies~~~~~  
  
LunaMoon~ Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it.  
  
Nataku~ Yay! Finally someone else who knows Houshin Engi!! Heehee, Nataku rules...yep, anyway, sorry it takes so long for me to update, but, um, I think I like reading fics more than writing my own. Heh heh, I'm lazy.   
  
Vixen~ Shippo? Okay, people seem to like the little kitsune. And of course Kagome will get revenge. Muahahahaha! But that's next chapter. Heh heh. ^_^;  
  
Zhare~ 1) She needs revenge! Revenge is fun. 2)Yup, it's Naraku. But shhhh! Don't tell anyone. 3)Whoa, guess I'd better put Shippo in my story then! 4) Sorry, guess it wasn't really soon...but this chapter was extra long. Does that make up for it a little?  
  
CTRNikkiM~ Well, Kouga's in this chapter, and he'll be in plenty more, if only to make Inu-chan jealous. Heeheehee. Yes, that would be embarrassing, wouldn't it? lol   
  
~~~~~  
  
Thank you wonderful reviewers!! I worship your reviewing greatness! Please review again!! Just click that little button that's next to the box that says 'submit review'. Please? 


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